Boxing: Crawford says he dominated Khan before stoppage

By Kevin Sox

It wasn’t the ending the boxing world expected, but undefeated welterweight king Terence Crawford went on to say he did his part against Amir Khan last Saturday night.

Crawford (35-0, 26 KOs) won via TKO against Khan (33-5, 20 KOs) after the latter was unable to continue past the five minute leeway following an unintentional low blow from Crawford.

But the damage had already been done prior, with Crawford dominating Khan in the first six rounds. Reportedly, one judge had Crawford ahead 50-44, while the two others had him comfortably up 49-45.

“I could tell I was breaking him down. It was just a matter of time,” said Crawford per ESPN’s Dan Rafael.

“I just took my time. I was disappointed (the fight ended like that).”

“I want to apologize to all the fans. The fight was just getting interesting,” said Khan. “Terence is a great fighter. I’m not taking anything away from him. I now realize why he’s one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. I’m a good boxer but he was showcasing great skills, great movement.”

Crawford knocked Khan down in the first round to set the complexion of the fight early, and the champion never relented.

“(Jose) Benavidez and (Yuriorkis) Gamboa were 10 times faster than him,” said Crawford, who knocked out both two of the mentioned boxers.

Khan detailed how the low blow jolted him and rendered him unable to continue.

“I was caught with shot below the belt. I could feel it in my stomach. I couldn’t continue. I could feel it in my legs. I’m a warrior. I would never give up in a fight like this. I was in pain. I couldn’t move. I could not continue. I’m not one to give up in any fight. I fight to the end. I’m gonna come back stronger from this.),” he said.

With Crawford’s streak alive, all eyes now turn to a unification fight with Errol Spence Jr. (25-0, 21 KOs) in the 147-pound division

“The fight I want next is Errol Spence,” said Crawford. “Whenever he is ready, he can come and get it.”